TUCSON, Ariz. – The Sand Cats hit the road to take on rival No. 12 Arizona State but came up short, falling 5-0 in Tempe.
The match began at 4:00 PM, with all five courts playing at ASU's home sand courts. Despite tough battles across the board, the Wildcats were unable to secure a point against the Sun Devils, who came out strong and swept each match in straight sets.
Kylee Fitzsimmons and Brooke Blutreich were the first pair to finish their match on court two. They started slow in the first set, falling 21-13, but showed fight in the second, pushing back before dropping it 21-19 to ASU's Ava Kirunchyk and Ava Williamson.
Court four wrapped up next, where Annie Kost and Elin Kaiser took on Ava Haughy and Olivia McElroy. The Wildcats duo kept the match competitive but couldn't break through, losing 21-16, 21-18.
Meghan O'Meara and Jamie Streit on court five were next to finish. They struggled to find their rhythm early and couldn't keep pace with Arden Besecker and Zoe Taylor, who sealed the Sun Devils third point with a 21-12, 21-12 win.
Ashlyn Zilliken and Madeline Walker on court three had a close match against Kendall Whitmarsh and Tori Clement. The Arizona pair fought to keep up but fell 21-18, 21-19 as ASU clinched the fourth point of the day.
The final match to finish was on court one, where Adri Nieves Papaleo and Kate Phillips faced off against Daniella Kensinger and Samaya Morin. Despite a strong showing, the Wildcats dropped the match 21-18, 21-18, as Arizona State completed the sweep.
Arizona will look to bounce back later this week as they prepare to play in the Utah Invitational March 28 - 29 vs UC Davis (Fri) 8:00 AM MST, vs Oregon (Fri) 2:00 PM MST, vs Utah (Sat) 10:00 AM MST in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Arizona – 0, Arizona State – 5
Court 1: Daniella Kensinger / Samaya Morin (ASU) def. Adri Nieves Papaleo / Kate Phillips (ARIZ) 21-18, 21-18
Court 2: Ava Williamson / Ava Kirunchyk (ASU) def. Kylee Fitzsimmons / Brooke Blutreich (ARIZ) 21-13, 21-19
Court 3: Kendall Whitmarsh / Tori Clement (ASU) def. Ashlyn Zilliken / Madeline Walker (ARIZ) 21-18, 21-19
Court 4: Olivia McElroy / Ava Haughy (ASU) def. Annie Kost / Elin Kaiser (ARIZ) 21-16, 21-18
Court 5: Arden Besecker / Zoe Taylor (ASU) def. Meghan O'Meara / Jamie Streit (ARIZ) 21-12, 21-12
